Display card holder



April 15, 1958 J. M. GORDON ETIAL DISPLAY CARD HOLDER Filed Feb. 15. 1954 IN V EN TOR W72. mm L M9 wnm/Y BY TOHA/ M. Golwo/v FIEEI EI United States Patent DISPLAY CARD HOLDER John M. Gordon and William L. Nawman, Oakland, Calif.; said Gordon assignor to said Nawman Application February 15, 1954, Serial No. 410,130

3 Claims. (Cl. 40--10) This invention relates to a display card holder and has for one of its objects the provision of a neat appearing, economically made, and easily manipulateddisplay card holder that is readily attached and detached from a conventional card holder of the generally channel-strip type secured to counters and shelves.

Many stores have shelves and counters each of which carry little more in the way of signs than a channel-like strip rigidly secured to the shelves or counters along an edge thereof and in which strip or channel a small card is inserted bearing the name of the product on the shelf, the price of the articles or both. No provision is made for detaching a special sign or card of different size to the shelf or counter, although the stores are desirous at times, of featuring some particular articles over others, or in featuring a price.

Heretofore attempts have been made to attach special signs or cards to the channel-like strips that are rigid with the shelves or counter, but, insofar as we are aware, such attempts have not met with the approval of the stores because the cards or signs are not neat appearing or they are easily dislodged, or they are too difficult to attach and detach from the strips, or they are too heavy and complicated, or they do not provide for simple and easy change of display cards, or they have been too expensive to warrant their use.

One of the main objects of this invention is the provision of a display card holder that overcomes all of the objections above mentioned.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a reduced size perspective view illustrating the present invention in use.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the front side of the holder without the display card therein.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2 with the conventional card carrying strip on a shelf being shown in dot-dash lines together with part of the shelf. No card is in the holder.

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the rear side of the holder of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a reduced size elevational view of a card adapted to be positioned in the holder.

In detail, the holder of the present invention is designed to be quickly attached and detached from the conventional channel-type strip 1 that is rigidly secured to the front edge of a shelf 2, or counter (Fig. 1). Such strip is formed with opposedly opening channels 3, 4 along its upper and lower edges (Fig. 3) in which the upper and lower edges of cards 5 (Fig. 1) are adapted to be held.

Sometimes the edges of the shelves or counters or display cabinets to which the strips 1 are attached may be slanted horizontally, so that the cards 5 will face generally upwardly. Insofar as this invention is concerned, such changes are immaterial.

The card holder of this invention in the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, comprises a circular metal sheet 6 having a flange 7 around its edges projecting to one side of the main body 6 of the sheet, and along the upper and lower portions of said flange the material may project inwardly toward the center of the sheet as at 8 (Figs. 2, 3) to form opposedly opening channels 9 (Fig. 3) along the upper and lower edges of the sheet 6 in which the upper and lower edges of a display card C (Fig. 5) are adapted to be received. This card may be formed with enlargements 10 along its periphery that fit between the ends of the channels 9. These enlargements insure a pair of shoulders 11 that function to act as a guide for correctly positioning the card C on the holder, and to prevent rotation of the card relative to the holder. Also, one or both of the said enlargements may extend a substantial distance outwardly of the holder, if a larger card than the one illustrated is required, and said enlargements will extend over the free edges of the flanges 7 that extend between the channel portions.

A rib 12 (Fig. 4) may be formed on the body of sheet 1 to stiffen the same, if desired, although such rib is not essential.

The sheet 1 of the holder is formed with a pair of ears 13 (Fig. 2) that are equally spaced from opposite sides of a vertical medial line bisecting the circular sheet 1. These ears are stamped from the sheet and are planar and slightly offset to the same side of the sheet as flange 7 and adjacent to said ears and directly below them are projections 14 (Fig. 4) that extend toward each other. These projections 14 are coplanar with sheet 1.

A vertically extending fiat rectangular slide 15 is positioned against the front side of sheet 6 (Fig. 2) and extends below the ears 13 and across projections 14 and across a horizontally extending opening 16 below said projections to a position over the rear side sheet 6 and below said opening 16. The part 17 of said rear side over which the lower end of slide 6 extends is offset to the same side as cars 13 substantially the same distance as the latter so that the slide is planar, and the upper end of said slide is against the portion of the sheet 6 above cars 13.

The opening 16 is formed by partially stamping out a section 18 (Figs. 3, 4) that is horizontally elongated, to provide a strip or flange that is bent to the side of the sheet opposite flange 7.

The section 18 is substantially longer than the width of the slide 15, and therefore opening 16 is correspondingly longer than the said width of the slide whereby smaller openings 19 that are end portions of opening 16 will be bounded along one of their edges by the vertical edges of slide 15. These openings 19 are unobstructed, except by the card C, and are provided to enable a person to push the card C out of the frame or holder by insertion of a finger of each hand through each opening 19 from the rear side of the holder on sheet 6.

The outer marginal portion 20 of the section 18 is bent slightly downwardly (Fig. 3) so that said marginal portion can be readily engaged over the side 21 of the channel 4 of a strip 1.

The slide 15 is formed with a projection 22 (Fig. 3) that is above the section 18 and that is horizontally elongated to be parallel with the latter. Thus projection is in opposed relation to the section 18 and is formed with a lip 23 that extends in a direction opposite to the portion 20 of section 18. Thus lip 23 is adapted to extend into the upper channel 3 of strip 1.

The said slide 15 is also struck to the same side as flange 7 at point 24 (Fig. 2) to form a passageway in which the central portion of a spring wire 25 is adapted to extend. The opposite ends of said spring wire are held in socket 26 that are positioned at opposite sides of the portion 17 and guide eyes 27 adjacent to sockets are provided for threading the ends of the wire therethrough on their way to said sockets.

The wire 25 is flexed to enable its ends to be threaded through eyes 27 and positioned withinsockets 26 whereby the slide will be yieldably forced upwardly to the limit permitted by the upper edge 28 of the opening that is in the sheet 1 and between cars 13.

The width of the section 18 (transversely of its length) is substantially greater than the width of the projection 22 in direction perpendicular to the sheet 6 thus enabling the sheet 6 and card C to be supported in a position tilted slightly relative to the plane of shelf 2 when the card holder is secured in position and when the strip 1 is at right angles to the shelf. The width of the projection 22 and section 18 may vary as conditions vary. Thus if the strip 1 is inclined transversely, of its length, the holder could be inverted or the said relative widths of the section 19 and projection 22 could be varied by attachment of an extension to one or the other as desired.

In most instances, and as illustrated in the drawings, it is preferable that the section 18 be lowermost since then there is little or no likelihood of accidental removal of the holder. Goods removed from the shelf would tend to strike downwardly on the sheet 1 if they should accidentally strike it, and this would have no effect on the holder. If the holder is used where the tendency might be to accidentally strike thelower edge, then the holder could be inverted, since the card C will fit one position as easily as another in said holder.

The outline or contour of the sheet 6 can be rectangular, octagonal, elliptical or whatever shape is desired.

In the drawing, the loop 24 is exaggerated in size for purpose of clarity, as are the thicknesses of the sheet 6 and slide. In actual practice, the elements such as loop 24, spring wire 25, slide 15, ears 18, sockets 26 and eyes 27 project to the same side as flange 7 so slight a distance as to in no manner indicate their existence behind card C when the card is in the holder. For example, the distance between flanges 8 and sheet 6 maybe only about an eighth or five sixteenths of an inch, in a holder the diameter of which is five or six inches, and the maximum projection from sheet 6 of anyof the elements above mentioned should be only about a sixteenth or three thirtyseconds of an inch.

The above detailed description is not intended to be limiting, but is for the purpose of emphasizing the fact that the preferred structure is one in which there is no interference with the card C and in which the entire assembly is thin and neat. From all appearances, in viewing the present holder from the front or from an edge, and disregarding the projection 22 and section 18, no mechanism whatsoever is within the holder.

As seen in Fig. 4 a stop 30 may be formed on sheet 1 to engage the slide 15 when the projection 22 is moved its fullest extent toward the section 18.

We claim:

1. A display card holder of sheet material having a mainbody portion and flanges along two of the opposite edges thereof extending to one side of said body portion, said body portion being substantially planar with a section thereof partially stamped therefrom and projecting to the opposite side of said body portion from said flanges, a fiat slide at one side of said body portion having a part projecting therefrom in spaced opposed relation to said section, means supporting said slide against said body portion for movement thereof in a direction for carrying said part toward and away from said section, a spring at the same side of said body as said flanges connected with said slide for yieldably urging said slide in a direction for carrying said part away from said section, and said section projecting a greater distance from said portion than said part.

2. A display card holder comprising a plate having a substantially flat side over which a display card is adapted to be positioned, means rigid with said plate for holding such card in a position extending across said fiat side, a flat slide supported against said plate for reciprocable movement having a projection movable therewith and projecting from the side of said plate that is opposite to said flat side, an element rigid with said plate projecting from the latter and in spaced opposed relation to said projection, means for holding said slide against said plate during reciprocable movement of said slide, a spring connecting said slide and said plate and yieldably urging said slide in a direction for carrying said projection away from said element, said projection and said element being horizontally elongated and respectively having an upwardly directed lip and a downwardly directed marginal portion therein most remote from said plate adapted to be positioned within opposedly opening channels in a channel strip when said projection is moved toward said element against the resistance of said spring for holding said plate on such strip.

3. A display card holder comprising: a frame having a substantially planar back of sheet material, a display card, means on said frame for holding said card substantially against one side of said back, a pair of elements carried by said back projecting from the side thereof opposite to said card, said elements being adapted to be positioned between the opposed sides of a channel strip, means rigid with one element of said pair supported between said back and said card for movement thereof in a direction away from the other element of said pair and into engagement with the opposed sides of such channel strip upon said elements being positioned between said opposed sides, a spring wire substantially flat against said back, and said card, one end of said wire being connected with said back and the other end being connected with said means, said spring being biased for urging said means in said direction for yieldably holding said elements in said engagement with the opposed sides of said channel strip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,157,195 Ulrich Oct. 19, 1915 1,322,380 Watts NOV. 18, 1919 1,728,789 Devins Sept. 17, 1929 1,915,116 Barrett June 20, 1933 2,141,342 Brownwell Dec. 27, 1938 2,679,121 Hooter May 25, 1954 

